A Desperate Cry
by aecwriterluv
Summary: His arm dug into her waist, pulling her towards his truck, further away from Ty. "Ty!" Amy screamed as a wave of sudden desperation engulfed her. Ty's heart pounded in his chest. Not Amy. No. The one thing he loved more than life was being taken from him. He knew he had to do something, anything to get to her, to save her. He couldn't let that man take her away from him.
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary: Amy is kidnapped and Ty, along with Jack and Caleb must find her. But with a snow storm sweeping in, hiding the trail to her rescue, and a panicked dread of fear of losing the one he loves, it takes everything in Ty and the others to get through this. **

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Heartland. And t****his is supposed to be set in season 5.**

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She stopped chasing Thunder around the pen and walked away from him to wait. She held her breath wondering if he would come. He cautiously walked towards her. Just before his nose brushed her arm, he spun away and ran in the other direction.

Amy shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong with him. He just seems to be afraid of everything," she said a bit frustrated. "I'm not sure what to try next," she continued with a sigh. "Why don't you just call it a day and try again tomorrow?" Ty said, hopping down from the fence where he'd been watching. Amy just nodded. Ty walked over and slipped his arm around her thin waist as they walked to the gate. He could tell she was disappointed with herself. "Hey, if anyone can figure it out Amy, it's you," he assured her. "I guess," she said as she looked up at him and smiled. She always appreciated his confidence in her. "I love you," she said as she moved up towards his face. Ty leaned down to meet her lips. "I love you too," he whispered through a smile. "You ready to go?" he asked. "Go where?" Ty pretended to look annoyed. "Maggie's. Jack asked me to pick up some feed and you said you'd come with me," he told her. "Oh yeah. I'm sorry I forgot Ty, just give me a minute," Amy told him as she race to the house after stealing one more kiss.

"It's getting colder out," Amy commented as she climbed out of Ty's blue truck, now parked in front of Maggie's, into the cold, late afternoon air. "Yeah, I know. You want to grab a coffee before loading the feed?" He asked. "Sounds good to me." Ty hurried to open the door for Amy as they walked in. "Hi guys," Soraya, Amy's best friend greeted them. "What'll it be?" "Hey," Amy greeted her back. "Two coffees please," Ty told her as they sat at the bar. "It looks like it's fixing to snow more out there," Ashley stated. "And it feels like it too," she add as she shivered from the gust of cold air that followed another costumer in. "Yeah, I heard we're supposed to get some bad weather tonight," Soraya said. "Great, well I'm glad I told Caleb to pick me up early," Ashley declared. "Yeah, we better get that feed and get back quickly then Amy," Ty told her. Amy nodded her agreement.

"Well, here's your coffee," Soraya said handing it to them. As she was getting their change, the man sitting next to Amy knocked over his coffee, spilling it all over the counter and onto the floor. "Sorry about that," he said. "Don't worry about it," Soraya told him as she bent to clean it up. The instant she did, the man jumped up and grabbed a handful of money from the open cash register, and bolted for the door. "Hey!" Ty yelled as he jumped up after him. He caught the man's coat just before he reached the door and pulled him to the ground. "Ty!" Amy yelled as she rushed over to them. The man and Ty both scrambled up to their feet from the ground where they'd fallen . "Just give it back man," Ty huffed. When the man didn't respond, Ty moved towards him again but was stopped when Amy stepped in front of him. She touched his arm. "Ty no," she said looking into his eyes.

"Stay away from me!" the man suddenly demanded pulling out a hand gun from under his coat and aiming it towards Ty. "Whoa, easy," Ty said putting a protective arm in front of Amy. "No one's going to touch you, just put the gun away," he coaxed. Amy stood there frozen. She was terrified. Not for herself, but for Ty. The gun was pointing right at he's chest. A pull of the trigger and the man she loved, would be dead. She couldn't let anything happen to him. "Please!" Amy almost shouted. "Please," she said again, this time more quietly. "Just put the gun away, okay?" she gentle pleaded, trying to get the man's attention away from Ty. She took a small step towards him even though Ty protested by grabbing her hand. "Just put it away," she urged as if she was trying to calm down a horse. The man didn't move or speak. His eyes just shifted from Ty and Amy to the other dozen pairs of eyes watching him. He's hand shook as he gripped the gun with white knuckles. He didn't know what to do.

Ashley and Soraya stood shocked behind the counter. Nobody else moved either. At that moment the bell on the door rang and all eyes shifted as Caleb walked in. His large smile faded from his face as soon as he saw the frightened man gripping a gun, and the warning gazes of Ty and Amy. He froze. But the man didn't. He felt too threatened. He lunged at the closest person and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her against his body. "Amy!" Ty yelled, frantic as the man placed the tip of his gun to the side of Amy's head. Ty felt panic grip him. Not Amy. No. He had to do something, anything to get that gun away from her head. That's all that mattered. She had to be ok. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. He was afraid to move, afraid to advance towards the man. But he was afraid not to. He had to get that gun away from her head. He had to. Ty lifted his open hands out in front of him in submission. "Just let her go. Let her go and take the money. No one will stop you," Ty said, his voice shaking in fear. "That's right," the man agreed. "No one's going to stop me or follow me" he said slowly moving towards the door pulling Amy with him. "Or she gets hurt."

Ty's heart pounded in his chest. It took everything in him not to ran at the man and rip his filthy hands off of Amy. Shear panic threatened to erupt into action. But he couldn't. He couldn't do anything or she might get hurt. He looked at Amy. He'd never felt so helpless or so broken and defeated. She wasn't even gone yet, but he knew she would be. He looked into her pleading eyes and felt and anger seize him like he'd never felt before. But Amy wasn't pleading for him to save her. To rescue her. She was pleading for him not to. She still wasn't afraid for herself. She knew she would be as soon as he was safe. But until then, he was all that mattered. She didn't want him to move. She didn't want him to do anything. She didn't want him to get hurt. She could see how much he wanted to help her. She knew how much it was hurting him not to. But she prayed he would do nothing. Ty began to take a step towards them but stopped himself. He shook in rage and terror. He would have given anything for it to be him and not her. Any other time he would have beat that man to the ground. He would have made him pay for even trying to take Amy. But he couldn't. He was too afraid. Not of getting shot. No. He had never been afraid of getting hurt. He would have done anything if he could stop this. No, he was afraid Amy would get hurt. He couldn't risk it. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't do anything.

The man pulled Amy out the door and the cold swallowed her. His arm dug into her waist pulling her closer to his truck, further away from Ty. She trembled in fear. But she had to be strong for him. She locked eyes with Ty one last time as she was drug into the man's parked truck. She nodded her head as if to tell him she'd be ok. "Ty!" she screamed as a wave of sudden desperation engulfed her. She wanted him to know she'd be alright. He needed to know. The truck door slammed shut. Now it was just her. Now she was alone. She just had to worry about herself. Even in her fear, she felt relief flood her. He was safe.

Ty ran out into the street as the black truck drove away. The one thing he loved more than life was being taken from him. The person he wouldn't hesitate to die for was gone. She was in danger and he couldn't protect her. He gasped for breath as a cold dread and terror of what could happened to her thundered through his head. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, he wouldn't let anyone take her from him, his panicked mind screamed. But yet, there was nothing he could do right now. He had no control. "Amy!" one more desperate cry escaped his lips, echoing after the black truck long after it had disappeared.

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**Please review! I would love your honest opinion. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, I'm terrible at proof reading. The next chapter should be up soon. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for chapter two!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ty had never felt such a feeling of loss and desperation. He was momentarily paralyzed. From fear? From Rage? He didn't know but it didn't matter. He had to get to her. He rushed from where he was standing in the middle of the street towards his truck. "Ty, you heard him, you can't follow them," Caleb, hurrying towards him, protested. "I can't just let him take her Caleb," Ty stammered not even looking at him. All he was thinking about was her. His hands shook as he opened the truck door. A strong arm slammed it shut again. "No Ty," Caleb demanded wearing that look of complete determination of his. "What are you doing?" Ty shouted at him as he tried to push him out of the way. "No," Caleb repeated. "If you try to follow them, Amy might get hurt. Soraya's already called the police and they're on their way. And she called Jack too," he told him. Ty tried once more to push Caleb out of the way but it was a heartless attempt. He didn't say anything but slowly dropped his hand from the truck door and heaved heavy breaths through his mouth. His green eye's stared towards the ground as his thoughts trailed. He knew Caleb was right. "Ty, I want to go after them too, but we can't for Amy's safety," Caleb assured him. Ty's fist clinched at his sides as he tried to control his emotion. He hit his truck as his fear and anger took over his body. He gripped the side of it, clinging to it the way his mind tried to cling to any emotion that would keep him from jumping in his truck after her. "I just let him take her," Ty's words shook. "No Ty, you didn't. You can't blame yourself. If you had done anything, Amy might have gotten hurt," Caleb insisted.

Ty heard pitiful cries behind him and looked to see Ashley and Soraya huddling by the dinner crying. "We're just going to have to wait," Caleb sighed. Ty's head spun. He felt so hopeless. It made him sick to think how scared Amy must be. His heart screamed when he thought of how helpless she was without him. His breath was quick and shallow as he desperately try to figure out what to do. He wanted so badly to go after her. He didn't want to let that truck carrying her take her further away from him. He reached for his truck door again, but trembled as he drew back. He couldn't put her in more danger by following too closely. He knew he couldn't be the reason she got hurt. He would never forgive himself. "Ty, let's wait inside," Caleb suggested as he walked towards the door. The gray sky was clouded over and light snowflake had begun to float down. Ty shook his head. He didn't want to move. He stood gripping his truck, constantly trying to force himself to do nothing. He didn't even feel the cold but trembled anyway. This was the hardest thing he'd ever done. He had to just stand there. It went against every instinct. It fought every emotion. But he had to. "Go on," he told Caleb through tight lips and with a quick glance. Caleb nodded in silence and followed the girls inside, leaving Ty alone staring down the road where she'd been taken.

Amy, now shoved in the back seat and being sped away from everyone and everything she loved, shook all over. She silently gasped for breath as she tried to believe what had just happened. It felt like a dream. But one nothing could bring her out of. For the first time, tears filled her blue eyes before slipping down her cheeks. Her thoughts were on Ty. She had to honor her silent promise. She had to be ok. She had to get back to him. Her mind swam in panicked thoughts. What if she couldn't get away? What would happen to her? But she shook the fears away, burying them in hope. She knew Ty would come for her. And her Grandpa too. They wouldn't give up on her and she knew this. She wouldn't give up either. The first opportunity she had, she would run. As fast and as far as she could. From that moment, Amy was determined that she would soon be in Ty's arms again. She knew that she would feel his lips on hers again. She didn't let fear or doubt convince her otherwise. She would be ok. Her rapid heart pounded in her ears and the truck engine hummed a rhyme, like a background to her thoughts. Amy's mind raced from thoughts of Ty to her plan to get back to him. Her trembling hands pressed together as she glanced up in a silent pray. She had to get back to him. She had to.

Ty heard the sirens approaching behind him. They grew louder as the sound became deafening and the flashing lights swept repeatedly across his eyes. But he didn't even notice them as he rushed to the police car. His desperation was slightly relived. He could finally do something to help Amy. He didn't give the officer a chance to ask questions before he rushed to tell him what had happened between gasps of breath. He couldn't help but feel like the responsibility of helping Amy was not just his now. Even though he had little faith in the police, just the thought that they were trying too, sweep some relief over him. By the time he had finished relaying what had happened, several other police cars had pulled up and Caleb, Ashley, and Soraya had came back out. They were being questioned as well. Even though his mind never left Amy, the police and all their questions distracted Ty for a few minutes, giving him an emotional break. His desperation to get to her didn't lessen, but he was able to find composure. It was more out of a need to than him seeking it. He knew to save Amy, he had to contain himself enough to focus on her. She was all that mattered. He had to get to her.

"Ty!" a shout came from behind him. Ty spun around and found Jack staring at him from his truck. "Let's go," he said with an urgencies Ty had never heard before but that matched his own feelings. Ty didn't have to ask what Jack meant, he was going after Amy, and Ty agreed. He finally felt like he could follow them without putting Amy in danger. Maybe it was just Jack's presents that gave Ty confidence, but he truly believed he was doing what was best for Amy and it felt right. Ty nodded in response to Jack's command and ran to the Truck. "I'll come too," Caleb said also joining them. Jack silently nodded his approval. His face plainly wore his concern for his granddaughter. "Sir, where are you going?" the officer that had been questioning Ty addressed Jack. "To find my granddaughter," he said bluntly. "You can't just-" the officer began to say, but was stopped when Soraya started talking to him rapidly. She knew no one could stop Jack from going, but she also knew it would be better if the police weren't worrying about Jack and concentrated on finding Amy. Ashley caught on to what Soraya was doing and joined her. They began showering the Officer with descriptions of the man, the truck, and what had happened. They were able to distract him enough that Jack, Ty, and Caleb were able to slip away mostly unnoticed.

"They went this way?" Jack asked pointing in the right direction. "Yeah," Ty confirmed. "But we don't know which way from there," Ty said feeling panic begin to swallow him again. What if they couldn't find them? Ty shook the feeling away. He would find her. "This road forks off two ways, but I happen to know one way is closed, leaving only one option," Jack told him. Ty nodded. Another bit of hope to drive him through his doubts and help him keep him emotion under control. After a long silence Ty finally spoke. "Jack, I wanted to stop him, and I wanted to go after them but I didn't want Amy to get hurt and I just, I…" Ty searched for his words. But he didn't need to. "I know Ty. You did the right thing. Don't go blamin' yourself," Jack assured him. Jack knew it was true. He had known for years how much Ty loved Amy. He knew he would do anything for her or to protect her. He never doubted for a moment that everything Ty had done, he had done trying to keep Amy safe. "We're going to find her."

Amy's eyes kept glancing at the man, her mind racing with questions. But one kept coming back, urging an answer. How would she get away? She knew as soon as she was free from this truck, and away from this man, she'd be alright. It didn't matter where she was, she would get back to her family. She just had to get free first. She took a deep breath in a search for courage before speaking for the first time. "Why are you doing this?" she asked a question that hadn't been able to escape from her mine. He didn't answer. "Please just let me out. You don't need me anymore." He slightly shook his head more to himself than to her. "Please," she begged again. "Shut up!" he snapped. Amy leaned back in surprise. She felt hurt, like he had betrayed her faith in him as a person. She had clung to the hope that this man was scared and confused but was not actually bad. She always had hope for people. This trusted faith that all people were good was born from working with horse where this was true. An animal's heart was pure, and only when damaged did the horse become corrupted. This perception was an illusion when it came to people. And in this way Amy was naïve. Ty often called her out on her failure to see the bad in people and refusal to give up on them. But he also loved it about her. It seemed to cloth her in a sense of innocents that was hard to find. She feared, once again, it had lead her to believe in a lie and had given her false hope. Hope that was a lie. This man must be truly bad to do this she tried to convince herself of a reality that she still didn't really believe. She didn't want to pull her faith in the belief that somewhere in this man there was good, but she couldn't force herself to betray what she really did believe. Somewhere behind his damaged heart there had to be some good.

Her trailing thoughts were interrupted when the truck came to a sudden stop. She bolted from her slouched position to look out the window. Through the snow, now coming down heavily, she saw a cabin about a hundred yards from the road. As she trying to guess why they'd stopped, her thoughts were answered by the man's gruff voice. "Get out."

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**Please review! Again, sorry about any grammar mistake. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this, and stick around for chapter 3.**


	3. Chapter 3

Amy was at first stunned. She had known that at some point they would have to stop, but she hadn't guessed so soon. She was also stunned with a sudden relief. They hadn't gotten all that far. If Ty was following her, and she held no doubt that he was, it shouldn't take long for him to catch up. "Get out," the man repeated. He wasn't holding the gun, but Amy could see it at his hip, as if waiting to be used. She felt fear creep over her again. Her mixed emotions of fear and relief taunted her, each trying to pull her in. She fought against the deep terror that had been growing since this man had first pointed that gun at Ty to now, her being taken way from safety. This terror was fed by desperation and doubts. She knew she had to get away but there was always a constant threat that she wouldn't be able to. She chose to ignore it and focus on something that would bring her hope. Every strand of it she clung to. Like a rope to pull her up from her fear. It was the ray of sun light in the storm of her emotions, the only thing that kept her from slipping into inescapable despair. It gave her something to believe in, something to keep her fighting. The hope of getting back to Ty.

Amy looked at the man questioningly, her eyes searching him. She hesitated a moment before obeying him and cautiously climbing out of the truck. He roughly gabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her skin, and pulled her up the hill towards the cabin. Her legs trembled beneath her, causing her to slip. The man yanked her back up, making her whimper in pain. With a look of annoyance he released her arm, but gave her a push from behind. She walked along stiffly, fright holding tightly. Her fearful eyes gazed at the cabin, a longing in them, as if in hope she might find relief there. They reached the door of the cabin and followed it into darkness. Their warm breath broke the cold, stale air. Amy's eyes search for light, trying to pierce the darkness. It slowly faded until she could see around her. They were standing in a cabin much like her grandpa's fishing cabin. This one way a bit bigger and she could tell there was another room in the back from the faint evening light that spilled through the window in it, illuminating the doorway. There was little furnisher occupying the room, only a few pieces scattered along the walls. The man pushed Amy in a little further and closed the door behind them, throwing them into darkness again. This time it took even longer for the light to grow enough for Amy to see again. The man collapsed into a chair, resting his elbows on a table and his forehead in his hands. He sighed heavily, his stress consuming him. Amy just stood there silently, her breath was quick as her heart pounded. He looked at her, a hint of sympathy played in his eyes. "I'm meeting someone here tomorrow," he said with a sigh not even bothering to look at her, like he was annoyed to be answering a question she hadn't asked. Amy jumped at the suddenness of his voice, his words grabbing her attention. "I own someone money and once they're paid, and I can get out of here you can go. But until then, you're staying here in case anyone decided to try and follow me. I hope not," he said almost cruelly, eyeing Amy. The threatening look of his face took any sign of sympathy that might have been there. Perhaps it had never been sympathy at all. Maybe he had become annoyed at Amy's pleading eyes, watching him innocently and silently begging for at least an answer. Wondering if her hopes were founded on anything stable. Maybe he had just wanted to quiet her stares.

He instantly seemed to regret telling her anything, and became nervous. He jumped up at her, causing her to stumble back in surprise. She Gasped at how hard he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the other room. "Just stay here," he said pulling the door closed behind him. She heard it lock, and was taken back when she saw the doorknob was turned around, so it could be locked from the outside. Amy just stood in the middle of the nearly black room stunned at everything that had just happened, realizing she was alone for the first time.

Jack's eyes stared unmoved on the road. It was rare that Jack was ever desperate. He was the clam in every storm usually. He was the reason in the chaos. He wasn't one to talk all the time, but he did always have an opinion to share. Complete silence was his loudest cry. He usually wore a look of annoyance as it was his place in the family to criticize everyone when they did something stupid, and in this family that was all the time. Love was always right behind it though, but now was one of those rare moments where there was neither. The rare desperation on his face spoke louder than words could. His mind, as stubborn as he was, refused to think of anything else but Amy. Getting to her, saving her. Ty's mind was as one tracked as Jack's. He knew this was entirely his fault. He had asked Amy to go with him to Maggie's. He had tried to stop the man from taking the money instead of just letting him go. He hadn't done more to protect Amy, to make sure that man never touched her and that gun never got close to her. His guilt weighted almost as heavily as his fear for her now. He wanted nothing but to know she was alright. To see that she was ok. It was the most important thing in the world. Everything that had come before in his life paled in importance to this, to her. He would find her he constantly hammered the words through his racing mind. He sat with his jaw set in anger and his eyes clouded with constant worry. Caleb had sat silently the whole time. He cared for Amy a lot. She was a very close friend and he had always liked her, even dated her for a short time. But he knew it was nothing compared to how much Ty and Jack loved her. He knew the worry he felt for her, theirs was ten times more. He respected their silence and abandoned his normal constant talking. Despite this, he knew they all shared a common desire, to find Amy.

Amy sat huddled in the corner of the dark room by the window. It was now night, and only the light of the moon spilled trough the panes, falling on her, bathing her in a silver light. She repeatedly traced the wood patterns on the floor with her finger in boredom. She had helplessly tried to find a way out of the room, but with the door locked, and only one solid window it was pointless. So she just sat there in the cold and silence and let her mind wonder. It was her only escape from a reality she couldn't change. Ty constantly told her she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He said she gave him a reason to change, to want to be better. He never seemed to know how much he had done for her too. He was also the best thing that had ever happened to her, but he never thought so. He didn't think he deserved her. She had told him repeatedly that it wasn't true. She needed him, more than anything or anyone else in life. He was the one thing she knew she'd never be able to live without. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks. At that moment she wanted his arms more than anything. She wanted to feel his body pressing against hers and him hugging her around the waist and never let go. She needed to hear his voice whisper in her ear, telling her it would be alright.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a low voice. She at first thought in came from the other room, but realized it was from outside her window. She stood up and soundlessly walked the few step to the window, and peered out. She saw nothing, but the voices grew louder. She craned her neck to look towards the side of the cabin and was able to see the truck and two men standing by it. She realized with dread that the man had hidden the truck behind the cabin so it couldn't be seen from the road. The snow was coming down incredibly thick now, making it next to impossible to see even the cabin from the road. Amy's heart quickened again with this recognition. She felt like every time she found hope to hold to it was ripped away as quick as it had come. She took a breath and again looked out the window. He blue eyes piercing through the snow and night at the two figures. One was her captor, and the other she guess to be the one he owed. She could hear them talking, but most of their words were wiped away with the wind, leaving her with just muttered pieces. Her captor hand the other man something, money Amy guessed, and then with a nod the stranger walked out of sight to his vehicle park to the side apparently. She head an engine start, and headlights flashed into view before fading away down the hill towards the road leaving her again alone with this man. Thoughts and questions pounded through her head. He had paid the man, so would he honor his word and let her go? Or was that just a lie, like his life was probably built on?

The growing snow and wind snapping it back constantly made it nearly impossible to drive, and even harder to see. The darkness made everything but what fell in their headlight worthless to their eyes. Ty, Jack, and Caleb seemed to have been driving for ever, their worry, pain, and desperation growing as the minutes slipped by. They longed for a sigh that they were on the right path, that they were still just behind them, getting closer to Amy. But there was none. As they crept along as quickly as they dared, the police car parked by the side of the road was almost lost to their eyes in the near blindness. Jack slowed as they approached it. An office got out and walked over. "Did a black truck come through here?" Jack yelled through the wind as soon as the officer was close enough. "No sir. No one's been through here for hours, and I don't suggest you try now. I haven't been given the authority to officially close it yet, but the snow on this road is pretty bad and I'm suggestion that you turn around and head back or to just pull over and wait it out," he said. "Well, be watching for a black truck. A teenage girl was kidnapped," Jack informed him. The officer looked shocked. He nodded as he began talking on his radio and hurrying back to his car. "Jack, he said no ones passed by here for hours. There's no was they had that big of a head start. We must have somehow passed them," Ty said, his voice trailing off in loss. He felt like everything they'd done was for nothing. They were no closer to Amy it seemed. There was no telling how far they'd passed them or how much time they'd wasted. "Yep," Jack said nodding, sounding as devastated as Ty was. "So what are we going to do?" Caleb asked looking from Ty to Jack. "Go back," Jack told him.

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**Please review! I would love to hear what you think. I should have the next chapter up soon. Thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying this so far. Be watching for chapter 4.**


	4. Chapter 4

The thick snow caused them to go agonizingly slowly. Backtracking was the worst. They had been doing it for what seemed like forever, probably a couple hours. It was emotionally draining, like the time they had wasted taunted them with the repeating landmarks they passed, reminding them of their failure. This time, Ty, Jack, and Caleb watched the side of the road with complete dedication. They knew there had to be a small side road or path they had missed. They would not miss it again. Their sensitive eyes studied everything. Ty tried to silence the growing voice in him wondering with dread what would happen if after they found the side road, it forks off different ways. They would have no way of knowing which to take, which would lead them to Amy. He knew it helped nothing, to distract his mind with unfounded fears, thoughts that kept trying to lead his mind to hopelessness. He would find her. He would never give up.

All their eyes had become accustomed to the darkness around them until a blinding flash of headlights rounded a strong curve. "Idiot," Jack scoffed. The other drive had on their high beams, reflecting on the snow and causing Jack to literally stop. The truck was driving far too fast for the amount of snow on the ground. It sped towards them, and almost passed them before slowing in recognition. The other driver slowed to a stopped and opened his door, still shadowed in the darkness of his truck. The guys still couldn't see his face. "Jack!" an unmistakable voice broke through the snow as Tim Fleming stepped out into the light.

Amy had waited breathlessly for nearly an hour for her captor to come to her room and let her go. But he hadn't. When she realized he wasn't coming, that he wasn't going to let her go, she had collapsed back to the ground to her spot by the window and cried. She had teared up a couple time in moments of weakness before, but this time she really cried. She curled her knees to her chest, buried her face, and let the tears slowly soak onto her jeans after falling from her eyes. She wasn't a crier. She held her feelings to herself, in the quietness of her heart. She didn't like people to see the weakness it brought, the vulnerability she felt. Most of the time she substituted her sadness for anger. But at times when she was most broken, she cried. She felt like all the hope she'd gathered was gone. The things that had kept her from breaking were gone. Her determination to get away, to get to Ty was now desperation. Because for the first time she didn't know what to do. The lost feeling was overwhelming. She didn't have a plan or a way out. To this point, she had always had a plan to escape, or at least a strong hope he would let her go. She had backed these hopes with the man's words, which she now guessed must have been a cruel lie. Why else had he not come? Why hadn't he let her go yet? She found too late she had built too much faith in this man, that he would honor his word. For the first time she felt completely and total helpless. Waves of a new kind of desperation washed over her.

She suddenly caught her thoughts in her head. She was shocked and horrified at how easily she had allowed herself to break like that. She had hoped so much, even believed she would be free and with her family again so soon, that when it didn't happen, she had mentally collapsed. She collected herself with deep, heavy breaths and stood back up, slightly dizzy from the sobs that just a moment ago had shook her body. The man could still let her go, she knew this. His present absence didn't mean he wouldn't come. And Ty wouldn't give up on her. That one thought, above all else, claimed her emotions. It was the one thought she playing through her mind over and over again, soaking the words into her heart. He wouldn't give up on her, and she wouldn't give up on herself. For her, but as equally as importantly, for him. She finally was able to regain her composure and find again the only constant feeling she had to cling to, determination to get back to him.

"What the heck Jim," Jack said as he rolled down his window. "What are you doing here?" "Looking for Amy, what do you think Jack. Lou called me. You think I'm just going to sit around a do nothing?" Tim said the way he usually addressed Jack, but with worry clouding his face. "Well, where do you think you're going?" Jack asked. "The only way they could have gone," Time replied like the question itself was absurd. "Well, that road's closed back there," Jack said nodding the way they'd come. "What, you mean you passed them?" Tim seemed astonished. "Yep, and so did you. We're going back, so, get out of the way, your wasting our time," Jack told him. "No," Time said shaking his head. "I'm coming with you." He didn't waiting for an answer before climbing in next to Caleb, abandoning his truck where it sat. "Why don't you just follow me?" Jack asked looking back a Tim. "We don't have time for this, let's go," Ty said impatiently. He knew with every moment they wasted, the further Amy could be getting for him. "He's right, let's go," Tim said before Jack began driving again.

Back at Heartland, Lou sat in the kitchen, one hand around a hot cup of coffee, her chin resting in the other. Her mind, which was usually in a thousand places at once wasn't now. It was consumed by one thought, Amy. After Grandpa had gotten the call from Soraya, Lou had begged to go with him. "No, stay here," had been his reply as he'd ran out the door. She had instantly called Soraya back to find out what exactly what had happened, and then had called her dad. After the quietness that followed him hanging up, her usual in-command, in-control mind became frantic. She wanted to do something, anything, but she didn't know what. It wasn't fair. Amy didn't deserve this. It wasn't fair that this would happen to her, the person who believed in people. The girl that had a general belief in people's decency. Lou bit her lip, her racing thoughts surrounded by silence. All but for the clock that ticked away the minute, eagerly reminding her how long it was taking to hear anything from anybody. "Lou," came a small pleading voice. Lou looked up at Mallory who had been silently sitting in another room. Mallory talked all the time. Literally all the time, except when she was most upset. Her silence screamed the words she wasn't saying. "They're going to find Amy right? I mean they have to find her," she asked, tears swelling in her eyes. "Of course they will Mallory," Lou said standing and taking her in her arms. "Of course they will," she repeated trying to convince herself, denying the very fear pulsing through her body. What if they didn't?

The first glimpse of morning grew in the dark sky shadowing the stars in light. The night that had surrounded Amy in inescapable darkness for hours slowly began to leak away into a brightening sky. She was surprised how long she'd been in that room. The hours of the night had seemed timeless, dragging by, drawing out every minute. But yet it still didn't seem like it could be morning yet. She couldn't believe how long she'd been away from Ty. It pained her to think how desperate his must be. As afraid as she had remained throughout this, she knew Ty held even more fear. Amy was thankful for the small but fortunate gift of at least knowing what was happening. She didn't have to wonder and hopelessly guess, she knew. This knowledge gave her a sense of security. As broken as it may be, it was something more than Ty had. He had no way of knowing what was happening to Amy. He had nothing of definiteness to cling to. Only questions to taunt his mind. Fears he couldn't know were true or not. Not knowing was the worst kind of desperation there was, a complete loss of control, a consuming helplessness. Amy wanted to get to him. She wanted him to hug her, for him to feel her in his arms and know she was all right, just as she had promised.

Her mind was pulled back to her captured reality when she heard footsteps echoing across the floor, growing louder as they came closer. She stood facing the door, her eyes watching it, wondering what those footsteps would bring. She heard her heartbeat pounding through her ears. Would he let her finally go? Or would he drag her to his truck again and take her further away from her home, her family, and from the quiet safety she'd found in this room with the knowledge that Ty couldn't be too far away? The thumping of the boots on the wood floor stopped just outside the door, the sudden silence causing Amy's stomach to drop in anticipation. Her hand groped through the air for something to grip to, something to keep her fear paralyzed legs from collapsing under her. She breathlessly waited for the silence to be broken, for something to happen. Amy's ears barely caught the sound of the click of the door knob. The lock was released.

Stunned, she listened as the footsteps of her kidnapper again disappeared outside, leaving her once more alone, but now free. Amy waited, remaining completely still to see what would happen. She feared he'd come back. But he didn't. She soundlessly crept towards the door, her hand trembling as she grasped the door knob. It effortlessly turned, releasing it to swing opened. Peering around the cabin for any sign of the man, she crossed the room satisfied he was indeed outside, probably leaving in his truck. Hesitating before following him out she paused, waiting, expecting to heard his truck roar away down the road. The sound didn't come. She was afraid to go outside, afraid of finding him out there. But she was more afraid for letting this chance slip away. Determined not to give him an opportunity to claim her freedom again, Amy took a deep breath in a desperation search for courage before pulling the door opened hard. She gasped as the cold of morning engulfed her, the wind whipping snow into her face. The man's truck was still parked by the side of the cabin unmoved, but the man himself was nowhere in sight. Amy stood in questioning silence, unsure where to go. She knew she couldn't walk along the road, the fear of the man following her overpowered her desire to get to her family as quickly as possible. It was a tortured feeling, know the quickest way to the ones she loved was the only way she couldn't take. The eerie quietness was so loud. She heard absolutely nothing, a complete silence that shot an icy chill through her shivering body. She rushed her mind for an answer, any answer that would lead her back to Ty and get her away from this cabin, away from her captor that was undoubtedly hidden from her eyes through the powdery snow somewhere too close. She chose to travel up hill from the road, parallel to it, but far enough away to be hidden from unwanted eye. She didn't hesitate another moment. This was her unhindered opportunity to escape, she wouldn't let it be lost. She ran. Just like she'd promised herself she would. She ran as fast as she could until the cabin disappeared behind her, until the terror that had built in her began to fall away, until she finally began to feel safe again. Safe from her kidnappers reach. She ran until she knew that nothing could stop her from getting back to Ty. And then she collapsed to the ground, surrendering to her exhaustion. Not just her physical exhaustion, but also her emotional exhaustion. She sank into the snow, her throat burning as she desperately gasped for air. Tear streamed down her face as definite relief filled her. She was finally safe. She was free.

"This is ridiculous. We're getting nowhere Jack," Tim stated leaning back into his seat from where he had been watching the window. "Well, what do you suggest we do then? Give up?" Jack retorted wishing with every minute that Tim had stayed in his own truck. "No, of course not," Tim said, trying to find an answer to Jack's question. "Tim, we have to do this. They had to pull off along here somewhere," Ty said, determined that nothing was going to stop him from finding Amy. "Oh really? Since when did you have all the answers? You know, this is all your fault," Tim shot at Ty. "Oh shut up Tim. This is no ones fault," Jack demanded. "No, I mean it Jack. He was the one that just let that guy take Amy," Tim insisted. "That's not fair Mr. Fleming," Caleb broke his silence. "Ty did everything he could to stop him without Amy getting hurt." "Oh is that so?" Tim continued. Ty was lost in his own pained thoughts. Tim's word had hit him like a bullet in his chest, because they were true. This was his fault. He hadn't keep Amy safe. He should have done more, whatever it took to keep her out of harms way. She didn't deserve this. He was suddenly draw out of his feelings, not by Jack, Tim, and Caleb's voices still arguing beside him, but by what his eye caught up on the hill. "Jack, stop. What's that?" he said pointing towards it. Jack halted, and traced Ty's figure with his eyes. "I don't know. Looks like a cabin," he said squinting through the dim morning light and snow to the almost invisible building.

Within a matter of minutes Jack had parked in front of the cabin. "Be careful," he warned as all four men slowly exited the truck. They stepped through the thick snow cautiously, their eyes constantly watching everything. "Hey, there's the black truck," Caleb shouted as soon as he had rounded the cabin enough to see it. Ty's heart stopped for a second. Amy was here. His greatest fear that he wouldn't find her instantly vanished. In his sudden relief he lost control of his body, as he began to run towards the cabin, towards her. "Ty!" he heard shouts behind him. But it didn't matter. Ty knew the kidnapper could still be around somewhere, probably with a gun. But that escaped him mind. He had only one thought, Amy. He burst in the door, greeted only by silence. "Amy," his shaking voice called for her through the empty air. Still nothing but silence. He quickly rushed into the other room to find it empty as well. He stumbled back out, feeling completely and totally lost. She wasn't there. Jack, Tim and Caleb had now followed him into the cabin. They could tell from Ty's miserable face Amy wasn't there. In a moment consumed by pure desperation, Ty let one word slip though his lips. "Amy!" he yelled loud enough to hear it echo out of the cabin into the snow covered hills. His words searched for her, through the snow, through the woods, through the emptiness he felt, desperate to find her out there somewhere.

Amy still sat exhausted in the snow. She knew she needed to get up, to keep moving, but it was so hard. She finally, for the first time felt safe. As much as she wanted to get back to her family, she dreaded leaving the safety she felt, heading out to uncertainty again. As she heaved herself up from the ground to her still quivering feet, she snapped up. She had heard a cry through the stillness. It was her name. she could barely catch it through the gusts of wind trying to pull it away from her, but she had heard it clear enough. She knew that voice. Ty.

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**It's finally up! Sorry it took longer than usual to update. Please, please review. Not just because I would love to know what you guys think, but also because I think my page had been having problems posting your review and I would like to see if it's fixed. So, please review. Thank you guys so much for reading, I hope you're enjoying this, and the 5th chapter should be up soon. Though I think it's safe to say it probably wouldn't be before Christmas, so Merry Christmas, and God bless!**


	5. Chapter 5

Amy opened her mouth to yell, to call his name back, but she couldn't find her voice. Her words caught in her throat, unable to come. But she didn't care. Her fear, her pain, her worry, everything that she'd suffered since the man took her, fell away now, like her footsteps in the snow disappearing behind her. Just the sound of his voice calling for her through the wind, was all she needed to fill her with immeasurable joy. She stumbled through the snow, her mind completely consumed by the need to go back the way she'd came, back to the cabin where she'd heard his voice calling to her from. Her blonde hair whipped around her in the bitter wind stinging her face with every gust of mountain air that blew through the trees. The snow had calmed, only slowly gliding through the air to the ground, now blanketed in white. The sun rising through the sky shown down through the trees, onto the snow, causing it to glistening in the morning light. But the peacefulness was continuously interrupted by the snow being blown from the top of the trees, being swept up from the ground and blowing into Amy's face. The cold air burned her throat as she gasped for breath, panting. She barely felt it though. She listened to Ty calling her name over and over in her mind. He was so close. She was almost back to him. For the first time she knew beyond any hint of doubt that she would be ok. The relief she felt was unmatched by any she'd felt before. It surged through her, urging her yet fast through the deep snow. It fought away every other emotion. Ty, the one thing she needed, was so close.

"She can't be far. The truck's still out there," Jack tried to reason out loud through his devastation at not finding Amy in the cabin. "You're right, they must have walked. We need to look for tracts," Caleb agreed. "Why would they walk? You've seen it out there. They'll freeze. Why would he want to do that?" Tim contradicted them. "Well I don't know Jim, but they're not here so they've got to be out there somewhere and we're going to find them," Jack demanded, leaving no more time to argue as he headed back to the door. Ty followed last. He hadn't even heard what the others had said. His mind was racing with lost desperation. Where was she? Every minute she'd been gone, he'd felt helpless, but now it was overwhelming. Amy was his to protect. He had failed, and now he couldn't find her. He let her go. He let that man take her. He literally felt sick as the consuming lost feeling in him constantly reminded him of this truth. The one thing he couldn't live without was gone. But she wasn't just gone, he had let her go. That's what hurt the most. That's what felt like a knife through his heart. That's the pain he couldn't escape from, the guilt. Amy didn't deserve any of this, but because of him, she had been put in harms way. He knew no matter how desperately he wanted to find her, he couldn't speak his will to happen. He was at the mercy of things out of his control. And that was the true cause of his terror. He had no control. He couldn't face the possibility of not finding her, so he refused to think about it. He refuse to let that fear control him. He would not give up.

He followed Jack and the others back out into the freezing wind and began searching the snow covered ground for any trace of Amy, any proof she had even been there. They each walked in different directions around the cabin, calling for her. Their calls barely left their mouths, before being pulled back by the wind. They all but knew Amy couldn't hear them, but they didn't stop. It was hard to look for something they knew would be almost impossible to find. The blowing snow almost entirely covered even their own tracts. The man's and Amy's would probable be lost completely. Finally, someone yelled. "Hey!" Ty heard Caleb call from behind him. "The man's over here!"

"I can't take this anymore," Lou said angrily, lightly hitting the table with her hand. "Why haven't we heard anything?" Mallory didn't answer, but just shook her head. They had been waiting all night without a word from anyone. The hours had slipped by agonizingly slowly. At that moment the phone rang. Lou instantly jumped up to answer it. "Hello," she said eagerly. "Hi, Lou?" came Soraya's voice. "Soraya," Lou said, her voice dropping in disappointment. Mallory leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "Have you heard anything?" she said, her voice full of sadness and worry for her best friend. "No, we haven't. In fact Soraya," Lou continued after a pause, "I'm going to call the police department right now. I've tried calling Ty and my dad but no answer. I don't even know where my dad is. And Grandpa doesn't even have a phone." "Have you tired Caleb?" Soraya questioned. "Caleb's with them?" Lou asked. "Yeah, he went with Jack and Ty," Soraya replied. "Well, I'll try calling him after I call the police," Lou said about to hang up. "Wait Lou?" Soraya asked, "Is it all right if I come wait with you guys?" "Of course Soraya, might as well," Lou told her. "Ok, I'll be there shortly," she said before hanging up. Lou didn't hesitate a moment before calling the police department. Mallory sat at the table and listened as Lou argued with the clueless receptionist on the phone. Even through she wasn't talking, her mind was everywhere at once. She tried to guess where everyone was, and what was happening. She hated not know. She was undeniably the know-it-all about everything around there. She felt like she had more control over her own life if she knew what was going on with everyone else. And she also felt like it was her job to help the helplessly stubborn and confused people around her. She knew sometimes they didn't want her help, but it was the times she saw a thankful smile flash across their face even when they failed to thank her, or when she saw them actually do what she said, when they acted annoyed by her uninvited advise that made her want to keep doing it. But now she felt completely useless, and for her, that was nearly unbearable. She tried to think of something she could do, someway she could help, but she sighed in disappointment. There was nothing. She hear Lou on the phone still. "Just do your job!" she was yelling as she hung up. "They're not doing anything," she said as she collapsed back into her chair mentally exhausted. Her baby sister was out there somewhere, and she didn't even know what was happening. She'd been fighting it the whole time, trying to be strong. But she couldn't force the lied composer anymore. She placed her forehead to her hand and began to cry.

Her heartbeat quickened in her chest, faster with each step. Not just from the exhaustion that was slowly growing as she ran, but from the knowledge that with each step she was getting closer to Ty, closer to complete safety, a reality she'd been silently begging for. Amy ignored the burning in her legs, the way she was forced to gasp for air, and the numbness that had long ago claimed her hands and feet, making it even harder to trek through the deep snow. She blinked past the wind and snow constantly flying around her face and her eyes. She wouldn't stop. She was too close to give in, to give up now Despite her exhaustion, she wouldn't allow it to be even a possibility. Giving up was a definite no. She needed her family. She needed Ty's arms. She needed him to see she was alright, to relieve him of the constant fear her knew he felt. Even though the snow covered everything in disorienting whiteness, Amy knew she was almost back to the cabin. Safety was almost touchily close.

By the time Ty got to Caleb, Tim way already there, and Jack was right behind him. The man both Ty and Caleb recognized as the one who had kidnapped Amy was lying in the snow seemingly unconscious. Ty grabbed him from the ground and pulled him to his feet, supporting his full weight for a moment before the man's eyes fluttered opened and he weakly stood. "Where's Amy?" Ty demanded push the man against a tree. He didn't respond but looked around confused. He reeked of alcohol, indicating he was drunk. His slurred attempted to speak proved he was. His sleeves were pulled up, exposing fresh needle marks where he'd drugged himself. "Where is she?" Ty again yell slamming the man yet harder into the tree. He was incapable of replying. "Ty," Jack said as he pulled Ty back. He grabbed the man's chin with his hand, forcing him to look him in the eye. "Where's the girl?" Jack asked him, a bit more calmly but with no less anger and demand in his voice. Jack glared at him, waiting for an answer. The man was slowly becoming more aware of what was happening and what he was being asked. But his drunkenness gave him unwise defiance. A growling laugh came from his throat as he shoved Jack back with his forearm. Ty's rage overwhelmed him. This was the man that had taken Amy from him. He had held that gun to her head. He had ignored her cries as he had drug her to his truck and forced her in. He had at the least help her captive, he might have hurt her. Now he fought their attempts to find her. Ty couldn't battle his rage anymore. He lunged at the man, punching him with as much strength as was in him. He followed the man to the ground, jumping on top of him. "Where is she!" he yelled. He still didn't reply. Ty hit him again, his full anger flowed through his fists unconstrained. Ty knew this man dissevered to suffer, the way he made Amy suffer. Tim grabbed Ty from behind and pulled him off. Ty pulled away angrily. Tim picked the man up from the ground. "What did you do with her?" he asked, trying to force the man to answer. Their attempts where interrupted by a voice behind them.

"Ty!" Amy called as she appeared from the side of the cabin. "Amy," Ty whispered in astonishment, as he ran towards her. He had never felt any emotion as strong as the joy he felt now. His unspoken fear that he would never find her were in a moment finally gone. Uncontrollable tears had instantly began to fall from Amy's eyes as soon as she had actually seen Ty. She finally reached him and collapsed into his arms as they fell to their knees. Ty folded her in his embrace, holding her tightly. Amy's body shook, as she for the first time completely surrendered to her emotions. She was flooded with joy and relief. She held to his neck, never wanting to let go. He cradled her in his arms. A few tears slipped from his eyes, reflecting his own relief. Amy sobbed, as all the fear began to melt away. She felt him wrapped around her, and clung tighter. She needed the strength of Ty's arms around her, telling her is was over. She ran her hand through his hair, and breathed him in. She could feel him, his body, and she knew she was finally safe. Ty could feel Amy's pounding heart beating against his. He pulled her even closer to his chest. He never wanted this moment to go, for this closeness to end. She was finally there. He finally had her back. "I'm so sorry," he whisper repeatedly. "I love you," was her only reply through a weak, breathing voice.

Ty slowly stood, pulling Amy up gently with him. She broke away from him reluctantly to hug her grandpa, who was pulling for her. "Amy," was all he said as he squeezed her tightly but his eye's were filled with tears. Tim pulled his daughter into his arms. "Sweetheart, I'm so glad you're alright," he said as he kissed her on the forehead. Amy returned Caleb's quick hug before falling back to Ty. She wanted him. He held her tightly for as long as she need. He kissed the top of her head, resting on his shoulder. He could feel now calm tears of complete joy falling from her eyes.

As soon as Amy had come, everyone had rushed to her. They had left the man standing where he was, and his slow, cautious movement had gone unnoticed as he reached for the gun concealed in his coat, watching them steadily.

"Lou," Soraya called as she let herself in the house. "In here," Lou called from the kitchen where she'd been waiting the whole time. Soraya walked in, and Ashley was with her. Lou and Mallory stood up to hug them, and in a moment of shared sadness and worry they all silently began to cry again. They didn't know why, but they couldn't control it. Finally, they pulled away and wiped the tears from their faces. "You still haven't heard anything?" Ashley spoke first with a deep breath. "No," Lou said shaking her head. "The police aren't doing anything," she continued with a half frustrated laugh. Laughing was the only thing that would keep her from cry again. "And Caleb didn't answer either," she finished. "I know, I've been trying to call him," Ashley said. Lou suddenly felt sorry for her. She hadn't thought about how afraid Ashley must be for her husband, and how hard it had to be for her not knowing where he was either. "They're going to be alright," Lou tried to reassure everyone including herself. "Lou's right, the guys are going to find Amy, and they're all going to be find,' Soraya agreed hoping and praying this was true.

Ty saw the gun first. He strongly pushed Amy behind him. She would not be in between him and harm this time. He would die first. Ty's sudden movement caused the others to look where he was looking, back at the man. He was holding the gun as before, just like at Maggie's, pointing it at Ty and Amy. "Hey," Jack called, obviously trying to draw the mans attention to him. He would do anything to get the gun away from his granddaughter and Ty, who was like a son to him. It didn't work. The man didn't move, but only gripped the gun tighter. He was going to fire, and it was going to hit Ty standing in front of Amy. Ty stood completely still, between the gun and her. What had happened to her before had been his fault. Nothing was going to happen to her now. This time, he wouldn't let it. Amy learned at that moment, that complete terror relented to strong courage. She wouldn't let Ty get hurt. She hadn't gone through all that to let him get shot. She wouldn't have hesitated to step in front of him at that moment, but she knew he wouldn't let her. So she moved up and stood by his side, hoping to draw the man's drunken anger and his bullet towards her. Ty tried to pull Amy back behind him again, but she wouldn't. He shook in fear for her life, and a selfless pray pleaded through silent lips but with a screaming heart for that gun shot to claim his life. They both waited through what seemed like timeless seconds with terrorizing anticipation, waiting to see if he would pull the trigger. The man looked from Ty to Amy, his gun pointing from one to the other. Through an absolute silence a shot erupted. The split second that followed came as if in slow motion. Ty and Amy both had time to think complete thoughts, but their bodies wouldn't move. Ty couldn't stop the coming bullet, but could only will with everything in him, that it would strike him and not her, that it would kill him and not her. Amy knew it was coming. The bullet had to take her life not his, that was her dying wish. The slow motion split second ended. A gasped yell came for both Ty and Amy's lips, one in relief and pain, the other in agonizing recognition, as the gun shot echoed away into a horrifying silence, followed by the sickening sound of a body collapsing into the snow.

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**Thank you all so much for all you reviews. I love and appreciate them. Please keep them coming. I love to hear what you guys think. Sorry it took so long to update, but with Christmas and new years, I've been busy and just trying to spend time with my family. Thanks for reading and I will try to get the next chapter up soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

Amy fell to her knees. A gasp cried from her lips. The blood began to come. It reached the bullet wound and began to drip out, spilling onto the ground, drenching the snow in the deep red color of blood…his blood. It poured from his body. "Ty!" a hoarse scream of complete terror came from her quivering voice. She reach towards him, instinctively cupping her hands over the wound in his side in desperation to stop the blood from pouring out of his body. She had to stop it, stop the life from draining out of him. "Ty!" she screamed again, this time louder, as if demanding him to answer. She searched his face, looking for life. His body laid limp in the snow, but Amy could see his chest rise and fall and hear him heave gasped breaths. A sob of relief for his life broke over her, followed by one of fear he could still lose it. Ty fought to breath. His hand trembled as he reached for Amy's. "Amy," was the only whisper he could manage. But it was enough, he had saved her. He had kept the horrific pain from reaching her, the pain that was pulsing through his body, and death from claiming her. That's all that mattered. If death did come, it was worth it. She was unquestionably the most important thing he'd ever known. Her life had been his to protect, and ultimately he selflessly had. He had never once questioned if he would be willing to die for her, but, with the pain pulsing through his body, and his blood dripping to the ground, he realized with relief that it was true. That one recognized truth brought relief matched by nothing else. As Amy grasped his hand, he could feel the warmth of his own blood on her hands, but it was worth it. His emerald eyes stand on her. They were the only thing about him that looked unchanged. The rest of his body had reacted to the shot, and was twisted in pain. But his eyes were the same ones Amy had stared into so many times, the ones that had capture her heart, the ones she'd fallen helplessly for. He watched the tears stream down her miserable face, and her body shake with sobs. Fear gripped her stronger than any other emotion ever had. It claimed every though of her mind, every muscle in her body, it pulsed through her veins. She had never known one feeling to wholly consume her like it did now. Nothing even compared, nothing had ever came close. She had been afraid the whole time since she'd been kidnapped, or so she had though. She realized at that moment that she hadn't known the true meaning of the word. All the fear she though she felt before simply wasn't. They had been weak unconvincing, and unimportant emotions compared to this. True, complete fear, terror that knew no bounds was Ty dying.

As soon as Jack had heard the shot, and seen Ty hit the ground, he had reacted. He ran, straight at the man. With the sound of the shot still echoing in his ears, he knew he had to stop the man from hurting his family anymore. He reached him too quickly for the shooter to react, and ripped the gun from his unexpecting hands. In a moment controlled by rage and the need to protect the ones he loved, Jack brought the gun down hard on the mans head, and watched him slump to the ground in unconsciousness. He could hear his granddaughter behind him crying for Ty, begging him to be alright. He turned around, dreading what he would see. Ty was lying in a pool of his own blood, struggling to draw each breath. Jack rushed past Tim and Caleb who were still standing where they'd frozen. He fell to Ty's side, and grabbed his head in his hands. "Ty, Ty you're going to fine. You're going to be alright," he told him looking him dead in the eye, as much demanding a promise to himself as telling Ty. Jack was desperate to make it true. "Call an ambulance!" he yelled behind him at Tim and Caleb. Tim grabbed his phone and instantly dialed the number. "Caleb, help me get him in the truck," Jack demanded as he began to lift Ty from the ground. Caleb hurried to obey as Amy reluctantly released Ty's hand. She was lost in a state of confused shock. Her heart fought the reality her brain new was true. She could see and feel movements around her, but didn't understand what they were for or what was happening. They were lost to her shock, but with her eye's locked on Ty, he was the one thing her mind could focus on, and even that seemed unreal. Her heart tried to protected her from the pain and denied what had just happened. It seemed impossible. The though that he could die was unthinkable. "What are we doing?" Caleb asked as he helped life Ty. "The ambulance will take too long. We're going to meet it half way," Jack huffed, struggling to carry Ty's limp body. "Get the door!" he yelled at Amy. She ran to open it, desperate to do anything to help Ty. She almost fell in the snow from her legs shaking so violently. With a quivering hand she grasped the door, smeared blood on it, Ty's blood. It was everywhere.

His body winced at the pain of being carried. It erupted in him again and again, agonizing with each jolt and step. He could feel his strength drain out from him, and his body was failing him. He couldn't move, but only lay in Caleb and Jack's arms and suffer through the pain. He could hear the voices around him, he heard their desperate calls but he couldn't answer. They sounded distant and weak. Like a cry from the back of a dream. He could feel the darkness trying to come, but it was only Amy's faint, pleading voice, begging him to be alright and the sound of her sobs that gave him the strength to fight it. He wanted to keep hearing her voice. He needed to. He had to live, if not for himself, for her.

It took Jack and Caleb what was only a minute in reality, but seemed like an agonizing eternity to Ty to get him in the truck. He laid weakly and unable to move in the back seat with Amy beside him. Jack grabbed Amy's bloody hands and pressed them over the wound again. "Don't let go," he demanded, locked eyes with her. "Don't let go." Amy nodded, as she gasping for breath, her heart pounding. She would never let go. She would never let go of Ty. "Let's Go," Jack yelled jumping in the truck. "Jack, I'm staying until the police get here," Tim yelled motioning toward the still unconscious man on the ground. Jack just nodded, and after Caleb jumped in the passenger seat, he began to drive. After he watched them pull away, Tim walked through the snow and picked up the gun from where it had been thrown to the ground. He glanced at the man lying at his feet. He had kidnapped and taken his daughter from him, and he had shot Ty. Tim was filled with a deep hatred for the man that he couldn't escape from, that shook his body. The man deserved to die. He deserved to have the trigger pulled on him, like he had pointless done to Ty. But Tim wouldn't. Instead, he would wait. He reached in his pocket and grasped his phone, and with a sigh, he dialed the number.

"You really should try and get some sleep," Ashley told Lou. "We'll wake you if we hear anything." Lou shook her head. "No, I'm going to wait," she insisted. "Well, how about some coffee then? I know I could used some." This time Lou nodded. "I'll help you," Soraya said as she and Ashley rose from the table. Mallory was pacing across the kitchen, the same thoughts repeating through her head like the pattern she was walking. All night they had waited, and now morning had brought no answers. They were all physically exhausted, but more so emotionally. The unanswered questions were an inescapable torture. Through the quietness, the phone rang, finally. They all jumped at the sound they'd all been desperately waiting for as Lou grabbed it. "Hello?" she asked instantly. "Lou," she heard her dad's voice. "Dad, did you find Amy?" she yelled, her heart pounding, fearful of the answer. "Yeah, we got her," he said. "Oh thank goodness," she said grabbing her heart and closing her eyes in a flood of relief that also showed on the other's faces. "Lou," he said after a dreaded pause, "you need to get to the hospital." "What! is Amy hurt? Oh my gosh Dad is she ok?" Lou almost screamed in panic. "Amy's fine Lou," Tim assured her. "It's Ty…he's been shot." Lou dropped the phone away from her ear and looked at the others with pure shock and horror that sent a wave of terror over them. "Oh my God," she whispered, "Ty."

His eyes never left her face, it was the one thing holding him there, to consciousness, maybe life. He could feel his own blood squeezing out through Amy's finger, squeezing out of his body. It felt unreal, like a horrid lie that with each drop of blood, his life was draining from him. He could hear their voices echoing faintly, trying to reach him through the silence that guarded him. He didn't know what they were saying, just broken distorted cries. He struggled and fought for each breath. It felt like an unfair battle he knew he would lose in the end, but he fought it anyway. Ty knew death was trying to come. It pained him to know that his life may be stolen, taken from his helpless grasp. But he had no regrets, not if it meant Amy lived. It was worth every dreaded dying breath. He could have never chosen himself over her, never, even if he wanted to. Jack gripped the steering wheel with a white knuckle grasp. He stared deadlocked on the road constantly passing in front of him. "Amy, how is he?" he yelled to the back again, as he did repeatedly, desperate to hear something good, even anything that wasn't bad. Amy didn't answer. She was too choked with sobs, her voice too broken to speak. Jack just saw her weakly shake her head. He felt the pain come again, like a knife every time, almost unbearable. He would have given anything there was to give for it to be him. He felt the guilt, knowing how grossly unfair it was. Ty was so young. "Hang in there Ty. You're going to make it," Caleb urged him. He didn't know what to do. He felt helpless. He could do nothing but just sit there.

The pain Ty felt was constant, like the beat of his heart trying to keep him alive. It gripped his body. Every moment he tried to fight through it, a least enough to stay conscious. But as the minutes slipped by, a growing emptiness came. The voices around him started to fade away, and his eyes struggled to focus on Amy. Most terrifying was the pain growing lesser and weaker until he felt completely consumed by emptiness. He couldn't feel or do anything, like death had already come except for the breath in him and the warm blood falling down his body. He welcomed the dull ache that was left, begged for the rest to return. The pain that was torture, but told him he was still alive. Amy stared into his face through eye's blurred by tears. She couldn't control the sobs. It was the most sickening, deep pain she knew was possible to feel, watching him suffer, see the pain in his eyes. It was worse than waking in the hospital to find her mom dead. This time, she was watching the life fade away. She was right there, but she could do nothing to stop it. It was desperation and helplessness at its most real state. She had begged for the bullet to hit her, instead, she had watched it rip through Ty. She had prayed it would kill her, but now it was terribly close to claiming Ty. She never loosened her hands over the wound. She didn't know if it was what was keeping him alive or not, but it didn't matter. She pressed it, gripping her hands together over it, the way she was begging him it stay with her, the way she was gripping to hope. She couldn't let herself believe he would die. "Please Ty, Ty please!" she pleaded over again and again. She couldn't lose him. Her body shook as she watched Ty's face paling by the minute. She heard his breath become more and more shallow. It was the most agonizing think she ever felt. Life was slipping out of him, and still there was nothing she could do. She was watching Ty die. Every second he slipped further from her, she felt she was dying too. Finally she heard it. The sirens. They grew louder as they approached. The moments that followed were a blur. They leaped from the ambulance, and rushed over. They pull Ty out onto a stretcher and began taking him away. Amy ran beside him, no longer holding the wound, but his bloody hand. "Miss, you can't ride with him. You can follow us to the hospital," a woman paramedic told her as she rushed to help felt Ty into the ambulance. Amy shook her head, not taking her eyes off his face. "We're going to take care of him. Please step away" she said again, gently but firmly, trying to pull Amy back. 'No!" Amy protested as she attempted to push past her. She felt a strong arm around her waist pulling her back. "No!" she screamed again, absolutely determined not to be taken from Ty. "Amy no," she hear Caleb's voice behind her. "We'll meet him at the hospital." He was the one pulling her away. "No, Ty!" she yelled his name, more, new tears fall from her eyes. It was too late. The ambulance was already pulling away. Amy collapsed in defeat, and allowed herself to be half carried back to the truck. She couldn't fight the fear away. What if she had seen Ty alive for the last time?

Lou paced back and forth across the tile floor, her light footsteps tapping a rhythm into the silence. Ashley and Soraya both sat beside each other, their faces blank, lost in pained thoughts, dreading what was to come. Mallory still wore the look of horror as when she'd heard what happened. It hadn't taken them long to reach the hospital, and the ambulance with Ty still wasn't there. Lou had begged the lady at the desk to tell her what happened, but she said she didn't know, only that there was a call that someone had been shot. It was even worse than waiting for a call about Amy had been. A least they had been able to cling to the hope that she was fine. This time, they knew Ty was hurt, and badly.

Tim waited, just standing there. The man had roused a couple times, but with being so drunk and high, he sunk right back into drunken unconsciousness. The undisturbed silence surrounding him gave Tim nothing to distract him, giving his nothing else to think about but what had just happened. It hurt so much because Ty didn't deserve it. He had been force to go through so much already in his life. He had finally straightened it out, and now it was almost gone completely. Tim also knew how much this was hurting his daughter. She had had a lot of pain in her life already. He had abandoned her, and then her mom had been taken from her. Amy couldn't have Ty taken away too. He meant too much to her. He looked at the man and he wanted him to die, but more than that he wanted him to be punished. He wanted to him to have to hurt, to feel the pain, guilt, and regret of what he had done for the rest of him life. Tim knew first handedly that there was no pain like regret. After what felt like eternity, the police finally came. "It's about time," Tim yelled at the first officer that stepped out of his car. "Put the gun down sir," he said, nodding at the gun still in Tim's hand. He threw it down towards the officer. "Is this the shooter?" he asked, kneeling to handcuff the man. "Of course that's him," Tim replied, looking at the officer like he was an idiot. Other cops had pulled up now, and they tried to question him. "No, you know what, I don't have time for this. I need to get to the hospital," Tim yelled at them. "And I need a ride to my truck," he continued. "Alright Sir," one of the officers nodded with a sigh. "Get in." Tim got in, afraid of what he would find when he got there.

"Oh my God!" Mallory yelled jumping up from her seat. She pointed a shaking finger. There were paramedics rushing a stretcher down the hall. "Oh my God Ty," Lou said, horror washing over her. She had known what to expect, but actually seeing it made her sick. She also jumping up and racing towards them. Amy, her grandpa, and Caleb were running behind them, trying to catch up. Amy reached the stretcher and grabbed Ty's cold hand. "Ty, I'm right here. I'm right here Ty!" she screamed at him. He looked at her, his eye's looked unfocused. But he knew she was there. The oxygen mask he wore block the sound of his final whisper, but Amy could see him mouth one word, "Amy." She felt his hand completely loosen in hers. He lost the battle to stay awake. As hard as he had fought to for her, he couldn't anymore. The darkness came. "Ty!" Amy screamed his name. She felt like her heart had stopped. The paramedics started yelling to each other and ran yet fast. "Ok stand back, you can't come any further," one yelled at Amy as they rushed through a pair of doors. "No, Ty!" Amy cried, collapsing into a pair of arms behind her. Her body shook, and she left like she were dead, except for the pain. It complete consumed her. Ty was gone. She couldn't get to him. "Amy," Lou said folding her in her arms. "He's going to be ok. Do you hear me? He's going to be alright. You're not going to lose him," she told her firmly. She wouldn't allow herself to think it wasn't true. Amy buried her face in Lou's shoulder. "But Lou," she said through gasped sobs shaking her whole body. "What if I do?"

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**I'm truly sorry it took so long to post, and sorry for the grammar mistakes. Thank you guys so much for all the wonderful reviews. Please keep them coming, I want to know what you think. I Promise to try and have the next chapter up sooner. Thanks again, and be watching for it!**


	7. Chapter 7

She watched him breath, watched his chest rise and fall. She laced her fingers in his limp ones, and felt the warmth of his hand lying in hers. Amy watched his face, and knew behind his closed eyes there was still life. As she watched him sleep peacefully, her mind didn't let her forget how close he'd came to losing it. She could still hear the shot ring out, hear the bullet rip through him, hear him hit the ground. She was then forced to again watch his blood pour out of his body through her fingers. She could hear his struggled breathing, and still feel the terror that it would be his last. That he would take a breath, and then never draw another one. She could still see his face paling, and the life draining out of him. She gasped for air as the horrid memories forced through her mind. She didn't know how many times she would have to watch Ty dying, how many times she would have to be reminded how blessed she was that he hadn't. Tears stung her eyes. Partly from the fear and sickening pain she felt every time she was reminded what had happened, every time she remembered Ty's pained cries, the look on his face as his eyes had helplessly watched her, or the way his hand had fallen out of hers, unable to hold on any longer. But mostly the tears came because of her joy. She could feel Ty's hand in hers now, and she could see him lying there, he was alright.

Almost every morning it had been the same for the past few weeks since they'd brought him home from the hospital. While he was still there, and still unconscious, all Amy had been able to do was watch his still body and beg him to come back to her. Feel the agony that the threat of losing him brought, and knowing that with every moment he didn't wake, was less of a chance he ever would. It had been the worst feeling in her life. Every second of waiting felt like the moment he'd been shot, like the passing minutes when they'd driven him towards the hospital as he struggled to hold on to life. But now there was no adrenalin pulsing through her body, and no hope that something better was coming. The doctors had done all they could, Ty's strength had been the only thing that could save him. But finally he had waken, in pain and confusion. He had tried to piece back what had happened, what had brought him to where he was. But it hadn't come. His mind had raced for hopeless answers, panicked. Only when he'd seen Amy's worried face lean over him and heard the faint gasp of relief and the excited squeeze of her hand did the pain begin to fade from his eye. He felt a peace wash over him, with the knowledge she was there beside him. Her heart had stopped with joy and relief as she'd watched his eyes finally open, and she saw the life in them again. When he saw her face, the memories came flooding back in a distant blur. He had to focus to see them clearly in his mind. He remembered standing with her in the snow, waiting and hoping for the coming bullet to strike him. He remembered the pain that had come, and falling to the ground. Most clear was the cry from Amy, the way she had screamed his name. It still rang in his ears, the pain in her voice haunting him. The rest was broken and only fragments. He remembered being carried to the truck by Jack and Caleb. He could remember Amy sobbing, her pleading eyes desperate. He remembered her running beside him, her hand grabbing his before he had surrendered to the darkness he'd been fighting. He knew from his broken memory that even before he was unconscious his mind had been mostly gone, unable to grasp what was happening. Amy's face had been the last thing he'd seen before being forced away from her into darkness, and with relief, she was the first thing his waking eyes meet. As he'd began to grow stronger and heal, and as Amy finally realized and knew with defiance that he would live, the fear of how close to death he had come was finally real. It paralyzed her at times, when she was holding his hand, or brushing a gentle kiss against his forehead she remembered how precious those moments were, how close she was to losing him forever. Knowing how much she needed him, and how he'd almost been gone was what made her cry with joy now. He hadn't left her. He was still there, that's all that mattered. Almost every morning the gratefully tears had come as she watched him sleep.

Now the morning sun was spilling through the window, bathing the room in warm light falling over her and Ty's body. He was sleeping in the guest bedroom back at Heartland, and Mallory had for once willingly given it up, glad to finally be able to help. He had been recovering in there for the past couple weeks, his strength slowly returning. Every morning Amy came in as soon as she woke. Not to see if he was alright, she had finally been convinced that he would be by the hours of watching him breath, watching this sign of life come so easily and naturally. No, she now knew he was okay. She came every morning because she liked to watch him sleep peacefully, and she liked to be there when he woke. She reached out and brushed his face with her fingertips. A smile eased across her lips. Ty's eyes fluttered open. He took a deep breath as he pushed the sleep away. "Good morning Ty," Amy gently greeted him. "Morning," he said blinking in the bright morning light. A bigger smile broke across Amy's face as she watched him, beaming. She felt nothing but pure joy as she watched him wake. It flowed through her veins and she was filled with an almost child-like delight. But the love that was the source of her excitement at seeing Ty waking up to her was the most real thing she'd ever felt. "Did you sleep well?" she asked. "I've had better nights," Ty admitted. He winced when a throbbing pain came from his healing wound as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "It's kind of hard to get comfortable," he told her. A hint of worry flashed across her face, and a trace of sadness too. "But I'm better now that you're here," he said squeezing her hand and smiling at her. He gazed into her eyes. He wanted that worried look on her face to vanish. It did. "Good," Amy returned his smile as she leaned in for a light kiss. "Do you want anything to eat? I could get you something," she asked. "Amy," Ty sighed. "You know I don't need waited on. The doctor said I could be up by now." He was so unbearably tired of feeling trapped and incapable of doing anything. At one point he had been, he knew Amy had watched him lying helplessly, dying. But he was ready to get up, ready to shown her he was okay. He was ready to claim his lost strength back. He needed to show Amy he was fine, and she needed to see it. Everything in him wanted to get up, to go outside and feel the breeze on his face, and finally fill his lungs with fresh air. He had been trapped inside far to long already. "I know," Amy said nodding. She was pleased he felt well enough to get up, but she hesitated to agree he was ready to go out. "I just don't want to rush things." "Believe me, I'm not," Ty assured her. "Fine," she relented, "after you eat, we can go outside as long as you promise to take it easy." "I promise," he smiled at her caution.

The morning had grown a little later when they sat on the porch, the sun on their faces. Ty rested his arm around her shoulder, and Amy sat next to him, their bodies touching. It was now very early spring, early enough that there could have still been snow. But this year it was unseasonably warm, and in the past couple week, the air had grown warmer, the bitter bite of winter almost completely gone, leaving a cool refreshing breeze to fill the air. Ty took a deep breath. It was the first time in weeks he'd been outside. He had been required to stay in under Amy's watchful eye while he healed. Now, as he enjoyed the fresh air, the sun as he closed his eyes against it to feel the warmth soak into his skin, and the sound of a waking spring, he appreciate the simply pleasure more that he'd ever been able to before. He admired the way it could make him feel, like he actually was alive again. He didn't feel like he was breathing empty breath anymore like he had since the moment he'd been shot. He was overwhelmed with appreciation for everything, above all, Amy by his side. "Ty?" her voice pulled his out of his thoughts. They had been sitting in silence for a couple minutes, both enjoying it more than any other time they'd shared for the same simple reason, they were together, something they had never question before everything happened. "Hm?" Ty said glancing at her. He could see a question in her eyes as she watched him. "Can I ask you something?" "Of course, anything," he replied feeling worry creep over him when he noted the concern on her face. "Right after we found each other," she said after hesitating. "Right before," she stopped. Ty glanced away hearing her unfinished words in his mind, hearing the shot ring out. "You kept saying you were sorry," she continued slowly, leaning into Ty. "Why?" She watched him breathlessly, waiting for the answer to the question that had taunted her since he'd whispered it in her ear. She saw his face drop, as sadness crept into his eye. "Because it was my fault, Amy" he said blankly, dropping his head, pain, regret in his voice. "What was," she asked, already guessing what his answer would be, but unable to believe what she was about to hear. "Everything. You getting kidnapped," he sounded like he was going to continue, but he didn't. "Everything," he just repeated instead. Amy was stunned by the pain in his face. Why was Ty doing this to himself? Why was he blaming himself? She knew how much it had to hurt. He didn't deserve it. "No Ty, it wasn't" she stammered staring into his green eye. She wanted him to believe her, he needed to. She touched his arm, begging him to listen. "It wasn't you fault at all." There was now a desperation in her voice. Ty had to believe her. It wasn't his fault. She slipped her arms around him, and hugged him against her. Maybe if he didn't listen to her words, he would listen to her body. He gave her a quick smile and hugged her back. But his eyes were unfocused as he stared over her head, knowing her denial didn't make it true. He knew it was his fault. The truth hurt, like being shot again. This time the pain didn't numb him, it was unbearable. It was the one thing he couldn't escape from. The guilt was always there, always so ready to remind him, ready to consume him in pain again. After a moment Amy pulled away. "Um, I'm going to get some water, you want anything?" she asked, needing a moment to gather her thoughts, to comprehend what she'd just heard Ty blame himself for. "Na, I'm just going to stay out here, haven't gotten too much fresh air lately," Ty told her. She nodded and stood as she walked into the house and then the kitchen, her eyes cast sadly towards the floor. The pain she'd just seen in Ty's face, in his eyes, still haunted her. "What's wrong? Is Ty alright?" Jack asked from where he was drinking coffee at the table when he noticed the look of her face. Lou, who had been standing at the sink, turned around to face them. Amy nodded. "He's alright, it's just that," she trailed off. "Just what," her grandpa pressed. "It's just that Ty blames himself for what happened. And I know how much it's hurting him," she said with confused frustration. "Why would he do that Grandpa?" Jack nodded, as if he already knew this. "Well I can't say that I'm surprised. Not with the way he was already feeling, and then what your dad said to him. I guess-" "Dad?" Amy interrupted. "What did he say?" "He blamed Ty for what happened. Told him it was his fault," Jack told her. "He did What?!" Amy yelled, her voice rising in anger. "Grandpa, are you sure?" Lou asked, struggling to believe her dad would actually do that. Jack nodded again. Amy shook her head in disbelief as she stormed towards the door. She felt like she'd been stabbed. She felt like she was the one that got shot, and her dad pulled the trigger. She felt so betrayed. How could he do that to Ty? She could imagine the pain Ty must have felt to have his instinctive guilt that is was his fault confirmed by Tim blaming him. She could feel the anger growing in her and her heartbeat quicken. When she walked out, Ty was standing from his seat. "Hey, I was just on my way in," he told her. "Ok, well um, I just going to take a walk." "Do you want me to come with you? I could probably use the exercise," he asked. "No, I'm fine. Go on in." she told him, "You sure?" he questioned. "Yeah," she nodded. "Alright," he agreed kissing her on the cheek before heading in. Amy didn't want his to go with her, she was afraid he wasn't ready for that yet, and she also fear she wouldn't be able to hide her obvious anger from him.

As she was coming up towards the house after walking by the pond, she hear the familiar roar of a truck pulling up to the house. There was no mistaking it, her dad. Part of her didn't want to see him, but most of her wanted to make him know how much his words had hurt Ty. She took a deep breath and walked steadily up towards him. "Dad," she said when she got there. "You blamed Ty? How could you do that?" She wore a look of frustrated disbelief. "What?" Tim questioned. "You told Ty it was his fault I got kidnapped," Amy said, her voice clearly relayed her anger, the anger fueled by the pain she'd seen in Ty's face. "And?" was all Tim said. "Dad!" she exploded. "It was not his fault. Okay? Listen to me, it wasn't his fault. Do you know how he feels now? You had no right to say that." "I had every right," Tim recanted. "You're unbelievable," Amy said shaking her head as she walking away. She felt hurt. "Amy, come on. I just-" "Whatever Dad," she yelled back at him. Tim watched his angry daughter walk away from him. He sighed, knowing he had to correct the hurt he caused Ty, to get her to forgive him. He walked towards the house as she stormed to the barn.

"Oh, Ty, there you are. I want to talk to you," Tim said coming into the family room where Ty was seated. "Is something wrong?" Ty asked, pushing himself up straighter on the couch. "No, no I just wanted to apologize for blaming you for what happened. It wasn't you fault, I was just-" "Hey," Ty interrupted. "It's fine. No worries." "No, no it's not fine. I was just worried-" Tim stammered. "Tim," Ty said look him in the eye, stifling the mumbled slaughter of words. "Really, it's fine." "No hard feelings then?" Tim asked relived as he stretched out his hand. "No hard feelings," Ty agreed as he took it. The handshake slightly shook his body, and he winced as pain shot through him. Tim recognized the look. "How is it?" he asked, pointing at Ty's side. "Still a little sore," Ty answered truthfully. "Yeah," Tim laughed. "I know how that feels." He slapped Ty on the back before walking away. Ty stood there shocked. Tim's words came rushing back at him, like they were reaching his ears for the first time. "It wasn't your fault." He'd heard Amy say it already, several times, begging him to believe her. But he hadn't. It was like there was something there, something keeping him from listening. His brain had refused to believe her. It would be wrong to agree with what he knew was a lie. But for the first time he heard it and did believe it. Like the wall of guilt that refused to let him hear Amy's true words was finally broken down. He didn't know why it took Tim's weak apology to hear it and know it was true. It was like Tim saying it was the one thing he needed to actually, finally believe it. He watched Tim walk away, as he felt relief flood him. It brought him peace he hadn't had for so long. The truth he'd been denying, the truth he'd only wished was true, finally took the burden he'd been carrying, leaving him finally happy, finally free of the guilt.

It was now the hour before night. The evening sky was gorgeous as they walked along the fence gazing at the horses in the fields. Beautiful sweeps of brilliant pink, orange, and purple streaked across the sky in front of the glowing backdrop of the setting sun. The vibrant colors were mesmerizing, lighting the whole sky, and wrapping them in a glowing, warm light that fell onto their faces. The evening air was still sharp from the traces of winter lingering into the early days of spring. Ty wrapped his arm around Amy's thin waist, holding her against his body as they walked. "Ty," she spoke softy. She couldn't get the look of guilty pain on his face out of her mind. "It really wasn't your fault. You know that right?" she asked, looking into his face. Ty glanced down at her and drew a deep breath. "I wish things would have been different. I wish it wouldn't have happened at all, but it did Amy, and I can't change it, but I'm ready to move on," he told her with complete honesty. He looked back at her, waiting for a reaction. She smiled as relief washed over her. Something in the rawness of his voice, in the emotion he spoke with told her he wasn't lying, that this time it was true. She could see in the his eyes and the way his looked at her now, the way he could look straight into her eye, something he hadn't been able to do before without seeing the guilt reflecting back at him, that he had finally, completely surrendered the guilt. "Good," she whispered as she leaned in for a kiss that Ty met. "Hey," he said after they pulled away, "Maybe we could go for a ride tomorrow or something," he suggested, looking at the horses grazing in the fields. "I know you haven't ridden in awhile." "I don't know if you're ready for that yet," Amy protested, concern clouding her face again. "Amy," Ty said looking at her firmly. "The doctors said I was fine and could do what I want now." "But you just got out of bed today," Amy continued. "Yeah, and I feel great. I Just want things to get back to normal," Ty insisted. Amy wanted to protest, she wanted to tell him to wait, but she didn't. She couldn't keep watch him every minute, as if waiting, expecting something to happen, dreading that it might. She had to stop questioning his growing strength and healing body. She wanted to help him move on more than anything, not hold him back. She couldn't treat him like a patient. He didn't deserve it. So she fought her emotions, took a deep breath and forced herself to say something else. "You're right, I know that. And I want things to get back to normal too. So, if you really think you're ready, why not go for a ride now?" She was shocked to hear the words come out of her mouth. She told herself it had nothing to do with how much she wanted to ride, but that was a lie. She did want to, and she knew Ty was right, he was ready. He needed her to push him, to encourage him. She had to release him to the freedom he needed and deserved. Ty look more surprised then she was to hear her say that. "Really? You want to?" he ask grinning. "Yeah," she nodded, smiling back.

"You're sure you're ready? We don't have to do this," Amy asked as fear temporarily crept over her again. "Yeah, I'm fine," Ty assured her. "Okay," she agreed. Even in her worry, she couldn't ignore the excitement growing in her over riding again. She hadn't done it since everything had happened, she hadn't been able to force herself away from Ty's side that long. She climbed up onto Spartan's bare back, his body felt so familiar under her. She suddenly realized how much she'd missed it during the last few weeks, and at that moment, nothing could be more perfect. She was going to ride Spartan again, and Ty, now well and safe, was going to with her. She couldn't conceal her happiness, or the grin on her face, nor did she try. Ty laughed up at her, smiling as well. Nothing gave him more joy than seeing Amy so happy again. "Ready?" she asked. Ty nodded that he was. She reached out and grasped his hand, pulled him as he swung himself up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He clasped his hands together, and he felt the warmth of her body against his. "Hold on," she whispered as she kick Spartan into motion. They started slow, but as Amy became confident that Ty's arms around her weren't going anywhere, that he really was fine, she couldn't fight Spartan's desire to go faster, and she finally let him. His strides became longer and faster, and they were soon speeding across the open fields. The freezing cold wind swept across Amy's face, and her lungs were filled with sharp fresh air. She felt the fall and ride of the earth under Spartan's beating hooves. She felt the rhythm of his gallop flow through her body. She could feel Ty's strong, warm arms around her, and felt a joy she hadn't found since that man had first taken her from Ty. She was filled with a consuming freedom from the fear that had captured every waking minute, and much of her sleep since it had all started, the terror that had rested deep in her since she'd seen that bullet rip through Ty. She hadn't been able to escape it. But now it fell, snatched away by the wind whipping passed her. It fell away like the ground sweeping away under Spartan's hooves. In the gallop of her horse under her and the safe arms of Ty around her, Amy finally found the peace she had silently, desperately been crying for.

It was now twilight, the fleeting time after the sun set, but before darkness came. The sky was growing darker and closer to night, but the clinging light of the sun that had already slipped below the horizon shown behind the dark blue, like it was desperate to keep the disappearing day alive, and lit the sky in the color it can only be at that quiet time of day. Amy finally pulled Spartan up when they had reached the crest of a hill high enough to see the house and barn and the night slipping over Heartland. She slid down from his back, and Ty followed her. They sank down into the tall grass being blown by the gentle breeze, like rolling waves of cool air over an ocean of grass. Ty wrapped both arms around Amy sitting beside him, and held her tightly. She rested her head against his shoulder, leaning against him, completely surrendering to his arms. Finally holding her, knowing they were both safe, Ty knew the pain he'd suffered had been worth it. Every drop of blood, every stabbing pain he'd felt when trying to draw a breath had been worth it. And he could heard the sounds that taunted him every minute, the sound of Amy calling for him to help her as the man drug her away, the empty silence that followed, the erupting shot of the gun, Amy's desperate cries calling his name, all begin to fade, to blow away with wind. He knew he was ready to move on from it all, to finally let it go. "Amy," he spoke just over a whisper, like he didn't want to disturb the quiet peacefulness that surrounded them. "What?" she asked in the same gentle tone. "Thank you." "For what?" she asked pressing herself against him tighter. "Everything. You're the reason I made it through this, you're the reason I lived. You being there kept me alive," he told her. "I had to," she whispered. "I couldn't live without you."

It was now almost dark, the light of the full moon shown on their skin, the night air blowing gently across their faces. Ty looked at Amy, and tears glistened in his green eyes. He knew he was so blessed to have her, so blessed to have her love. He knew he would never deserve her, no one ever could. She looked up into his face and met his eyes gazing at her. He was looking at her in a way no one had ever looked at her before, in a way she had only dared to dream of, in a way that made her feel like she was the only being on the earth for him to gazing at. She stared at him like he would disappear. Like she didn't deserve this time, or the way he looked at her and it would vanish. Like she wanted to remember this moment forever, to burn it into her memory, every detail, the way it felt to be in his arms, or the way his eyes shown in the moonlight as he watched her. He look at her like he was watching the sun rise for the first time, like she was the most breathtaking thing he would ever see. He looked at her like she was more precious than life itself, and to him she was. Her life meant more to him than the breath he breathed, or the beat of his heart. His eyes made her feel like the most special thing the earth had to offer, and she knew she could never earn the love that showed in his face. She was just bless enough for him to give it to her. They stared at each other, he could see the love in her smile, and she saw it in his eyes. "You're so beautiful," Ty whispered into the night air, unable to look away from her gazing eyes. "I love you Amy Fleming." "I love you too Ty Borden," she whispered back. They both leaned into a kiss, more perfect than any they'd ever shared. He cupped her face in his hands, her skin was warm in contrast to the cold air. She slipped one hand around his neck, the other on his chest as their lips pressed together. As they pulled apart just to stare at each other again, as they held each other in their arms, as they were lost in a deep love they would never stop feeling, they knew nothing could ever be more wrong then how right they felt together, nothing could pull them apart. They sat with their fingers laced together, pressed against each other, lost in pure joy like they never had before as the stars grew lighter in the night sky, and the wind pulled their gentle whispers away, leaving them in a perfect silence only interrupted by their soft breathing.

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**There it is, that's it, the end. I'm sorry it took a while. I hope the ending of this story didn't feel too rushed, but I don't want to be one of those writers who drag it on and on and on and deprecate the quality of the story. This one was mostly about Amy getting kidnapped and Ty finding her. Once that was over, I felt like I needed to rap it up. I hope I was able to do it in a way that didn't leave you feeling deprived. There are a lot of hospital/recovery Heartland fanfictions, and I just didn't feel like I needed to take this story there. Anyway, please review! Please review this final chapter, and the story as a whole. I would love to know what you think. Also, thank you to everyone who stuck with me and read, followed or reviewed this story. It meant everything to me. All those sweet, encouraging, and supportive reviews were absolutely incredible and made my first fanfiction an amazing experience. Thank you guys. I have a couple of ideas for a few more Heartland Fanfics, would you guys like to read them? Again, thank you so much and may God bless you all.**


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